


House Arrest

by Blush



Category: Gundam Wing
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-18
Updated: 2012-12-17
Packaged: 2017-11-21 10:20:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/596584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blush/pseuds/Blush
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Duo is charged with 12 months house arrest for the beating an elderly Chinese man. Officer Wufei Chang is the first responding officer should his ankle bracelet go off- and he's holding quite a grudge against Duo Maxwell. 2x5</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

House Arrest

Chapter One:

Duo looked down at the worn defendant's desk trying to tune out the drone from his public defense lawyer and the prosecution. It had yet to work. Currently the prosecutor was asking an elderly Chinese man questions on the stand. Duo was so pissed off that he couldn't look up from the desk in front of him. The heat didn't help Duo's mood any more than the nosy spectators in the courtroom and he was pretty sure that the group in the back were pre-law students. They could fuck off to a different court room and get the hell outta his. Christ.

"Mr. Lau, can you point out your attacker today?"

The man looked over at Duo and pointed, his arm in a cast. With a strong Chinese accent he said, "I remember him. I remember that hair and the purple jacket he was wearing."

Duo peaked through his hair and saw that Mr. Lau's bruises had been healing but were still a nasty yellow. They probably didn't help his case.

And his jacket isn't purple, it's violet.

Duo huffed in anger. It wasn't like Duo actually hit the guy; it was the rest of the gang that did the beating. He just didn't try to stop it. That sick guilty feeling in the pit of his stomach let him know that he was just as guilty anyway.

When Duo was called up to the stand he felt nervous answering questions in front of everyone. He stood and walked right around the desk past Mr. Lau, almost too close for comfort. He shuffled his way to the stand, the cuffs jingling, making him feel even more like a violent criminal.

"State your name, place your right hand on the bible and repeat after me." The bailiff looked as bored and uncaring as the rest of the court, his expression dull, and Duo wondered if he was seen as just another street punk gone bad. Unfortunately, by swearing on the bible, Duo Maxwell would never tell a lie.

"Where were you on the night of September the eighth of this year, Mr. Maxwell?"

"I was walking through Chinatown."

"Were you alone on your walk, or were there others there with you?" The prosecution lawyer paced in front of him, back and forth, from one side of the room to the other.

"There were others in Chinatown with me," he nodded. When in doubt, give them attitude. His violet eyes gleamed and a smirk fell on his lips. He drummed his fingers on the wood in front of him in an attempt to annoy the lawyer.

"Mr. Maxwell. When I ask a question, you will answer that question fully and accurately. There were plenty of people in Chinatown on September the eighth, what I want to know is who was with you when you decided to corner and beat Mr. Lau in that alleyway!" He turned his body and flung an arm towards the quiet Mr. Lau.

Great, a pissed off lawyer is just what he needed. The man's face was sweating and he looked like an overweight suburban male in a suit that was too small for him. But even so, he was a better lawyer than that public defender he'd been assigned. That guy could barely write his own damned name. Might as well give it to them soft and easy; make this go along a little bit faster.

"Listen, before we get all pissy about this, I'm just gonna tell you now that there ain't no way in hell I'm telling you who was with me. And it wasn't in an alleyway; it was on the side of the road. Let's skip to the part where I'm guilty and get the hell on with it." Even as Duo spoke he realized that this was the only way out of it. Take the punishment like a good little bitch and hope to stay out of trouble later on. Even if he did talk, the repercussions from his gang would be more painful than any punishment the prison system could give him.

The judge swirled around to face him and said, "You're pleading no contest to an assault charge, Mr. Maxwell?"

"Looks like," came the dry response.

The judge was convinced this was a decision made purely on fear of what would happen to him if he talked.

"I hope you know this will go on your criminal profile for the rest of your life. It may have consequences with things such as employment at a later date. It will also factor in for more punishment if you are involved with criminal activity of any kind in the future." He took in Duo's weary face and his disheveled clothing.

"Yeah yeah, I know." Duo rolled his eyes, and slumped down in his seat.

After a few minutes of silence the judge shook his head and declared, "I sentence you, Duo Maxwell, to six months home detention for the assault on Mr. Lau, and another six months consecutive with the first punishment, for failing to provide the information on the others involved in the same crime. This case is not to be written as a hate crime, as the assault occurred at random. You, Mr. Maxwell are not to feel like you're getting off that easy. Your parole officer and first responding officer will be Chang Wufei. Case dismissed."

Duo sat up in his chair, mouth open in surprise. Twelve months house arrest didn't seem like that bad a punishment. The court cleared out, readying the next case, and the bailiff led Duo out the back door. The white washed walls of the station pissed Duo off more than the courtroom did. Running was his specialty and under normal circumstances he would never have been caught by the cops like he did three days before. Unfortunately, one of the younger boys had fallen over a curb when the police showed up. Duo stopped to make sure he wouldn't get caught, and ended up getting tackled by a blond police officer half his size. The cop must've had grappling training since it took him mere seconds to wrestle Duo to the ground and shove his wrists together for cuffing. Should've paid more attention, damn it.

As Duo relived the experience the bailiff walked him past his cell and took him to a questioning hold, leaving him there, alone. Duo put his head down on the metal table in front of him feeling the cold all the way through to his bones. He was exhausted. Everyone thinks he was a street punk, born and bred, but really Duo had a happy childhood. Living in foster care wasn't the best experience, but being adopted by Helen when he was ten made life for Duo better than he could ask for. Good food, a nice home and plenty of love courtesy of Helen, made his early teen years go a lot easier than they might have been without her. Even when he confessed his attraction to men she never judged him. If the good woman could see him now she'd roll over in her grave.

Duo groaned. Now he was sitting in the back of a court house waiting to be locked into that same house.

Officer Chang Wufei walked into the interrogation room with a scowl. His new charge, Duo Maxwell, was sitting with his forehead on the table and his hands playing with the chains on his cuffs. The long braid that hung down his back was a great contradiction to the wiry muscled frame underneath the prison orange. Wufei had just come in from the court room, having overseen the court case personally. Another thing he had picked up on was the attitude Duo had given both the judge and the prosecution lawyer. That was going to stop now, before he became accustomed to talking to him like that.

He slammed the metal door shut and Duo jerked back in his seat when he heard the click of the lock fall in place. Wufei knew what the kid was afraid of. He could sense the fear and wondered what was running through the kid's mind. Wufei smirked, satisfied, his position of authority over him.

Duo gulped and wondered what the hell he did wrong in another life that would warrant the need to torment him further with an Asian police officer.

"What are the chances that you're Korean?" Duo winced at the man that was stalking towards him like a predator after its prey.

"Not fucking good," came the response.

Wufei crossed the room, and stood directly behind Duo. He could see Duo was tense, waiting for him to do something. Wufei stood still waiting to see what the kid would do.

When Duo couldn't stand it anymore he tried to turn just slightly to see what Wufei was up to.

Wufei uncrossed his arms and smacked Duo across the head with his open palm. The chair screeched sideways and Duo almost fell to the floor from the force of the blow.

"Holy shit, you can't do that!" Duo yelped in surprised and held the side of his head where his ear was ringing.

"I can do whatever I want. My name is Chang Wufei and I will be your first response officer. That means that when your ankle bracelet goes off I'm the one that heads to the scene. I also hold your tracker, and in the case that you attempt escape I will be the lead officer in charge of the hunt."

Wufei walked around the table and sat facing the prisoner. He looked Duo in the eye and told him, "If you attempt escape, I won't feel bad about kicking the shit out of you. I also warn you in advance that I am entitled to shoot to kill once you're outside the specified zone. I'd advise you to remain within the perimeter I give you, and I suspect we won't have any problems."

Duo snorted. Wufei's eyes narrowed."Do you understand?"

"Yeah, I do. I'm stuck with a 100 foot radius and a chink cop as a babysitter."

Wufei skirted the table and ran an arm down around Duo's neck, slamming his forehead into the table and repeated the question. "Do you understand?"

"Ow man, are you fucking kidding me?" Duo growled under the weight of him and struggled against his arms. Wufei pressed him harder into the table until Duo's body went slack. After realizing the cop wasn't going to let him get up until he spoke he spat out, "Fuck you, I get it."

Letting him go, Wufei grabbed the front of Duo's shirt and brought him upright, back against the chair.

"Stand up."

Duo stood, turning to face his newest enemy and found that he towered over the shorter Asian man. Wufei told him to place his left leg on the chair and then hiked Duo's pant leg up.

Duo couldn't resist saying, "Woah, I think you're getting ahead of yourself there. Normally I wait till after you buy me dinner before you get to undress me." Immediately the cop rolled his eyes and grabbed onto the chains holding Duo's wrists together and locked them to the chair. This made Duo's position a little more vulnerable and successfully stopped the smart ass comments.

Pulling out a black ankle bracelet, he proceeded to slip it around Duo's leg.

"This has a mechanism that can read if it's being tampered with. If it even thinks something is going wrong it'll send me a message on your tracker and I'll be on your doorstep within ten minutes. I'm giving you a 90-foot radius from the center of your house, and if you step over that line, you have thirty seconds to cross back over before the message will transmit to me."

The room was quiet as he attached it to his leg.

Duo took this moment while the officer was occupied, and closed his eyes, trying to come to terms that the bracelet signified a loss of his freedom-a thing that Duo valued most in life. Then he looked down at the officer, wondering how many of these he's put on people. Innocent or guilty.

The black band on Duo's leg was heavy, but Duo wasn't thinking of much except the Chinese man bent over in front of him. The blue police uniform was pulled taught against his skin. He wondered what he looked like with his hair down, instead of swept up in that tight pony-tail. Duo's hand came up to pull the elastic out of his hair but the chains rattled and caught against the chair. Wufei turned quickly and slammed a flat hand into Duo's chest. Duo found himself flat on his back and the chair clattering to the floor with him.

And then he calmly finished adjusting the bracelet in place.

His warm fingers brushed across Duo's skin.

"Believe me, you don't want to have this thing summon me to you. I will be none too pleased."

Duo looked up at Wufei from his splayed out position on the floor of the police station gasping for air and believing every word the man said.

"Understood?"

With a sparkle in his eye he said softly, "I gotcha Wu-man."

Wufei turned red at that. He bent over and grabbed onto the front of Duo's prison shirt, hauling him up with shear strength. He slammed him into the wall, the heel of his hand digging into Duo's chest, the chair on its side, weighing his hands down. Wufei was breathing hard, pissed off at the attitude emanating from this punk kid. He looked Duo in the eye and said calmly, "Duo Maxwell, I am going to make your stay with the prison system a living hell."

Duo realized that he should've gone with whatever the gang threw at him because this man had a dangerous gleam in his eye and a hand over his heart.


	2. Chapter 2

House Arrest:

Chapter Two:

Duo had been given his civilian clothing to wear on the trip home, which made him feel a little more human, regardless of the weight on his ankle. Wufei was personally driving him home to his two story house on the outskirts of the city. Duo opted for silence during the ride, watching the world fly past from his view in the backseat of Wufei's squad car. He glanced at the man driving, his black hair tied back from his face and golden hands gripping the steering wheel. Duo bit his lip as he discreetly checked out his driver. The blue uniform shirt was snug and fitted against the Asian man's frame. When the sleeve ended the muscles of his arm began.

He looked out the window as they pulled to a stop, bringing Duo out of his stupor.

His home was built by his foster mother's father, so the paint was chipped in places and one of the shutters was falling off. Duo always made a note to fix the place up but he just didn't have the time or resources to fix it. The houses on either side were luxurious homes, three story buildings that belonged in a suburb. The Winners lived next door and their family lawyer had paid Duo many visits in the past in order to buy him out, intent to tear his home down and create a bigger lawn for the family. No matter how much money the Winner family threw at him he didn't have the heart to sell Helen's family home.

Thus, that led to the house wearing down into the state it was in. After Helen died two years earlier social services only agreed to let Duo keep the house at his age because it was left to him in Helen's will. Also in the agreement was that he attends school and be able to pay any bills associated with the house. There was no mortgage on the house or land itself, so Duo only had to maintain minimum payments on the electrical bill. His part time job at the local convenience store made it easy for him to keep up with these payments.

The door opened and Duo slid himself out of the backseat, his feet landing on the sidewalk. Wufei grasped his right arm, both of which were still cuffed, and turned to lead him up the stone pathway to the front door. There was a woman in a business suit sitting on the stoop, a leather briefcase in her hands.

Wufei could hear Duo growl low in his throat.

"How many times do I have to tell you, this house ain't for sale, lady."

The woman stood up, her hair frazzled and falling out of the two twisted braids that framed her face. She outright ignored Duo and went straight to Wufei.

"Hello officer, I'm Sally Po, family lawyer for the Winners' next door. There are issues Mr. Winner has with living next to a convicted criminal and he would like to see him removed from this area. He has many children ranging from twenty to three. We are offering up quite a large sum to buy out Mr. Maxwell's property that would more than cover the expense and trouble of finding a new home."

Wufei glanced at the braided punk and saw that he was turning a darker shade of red with every word. Wufei took in her physical state and determined that Mr. Winner must have been urging her to get this deal done.

Wufei's hand tightened almost imperceptibly on Duo's arm as he said harshly, "Miss Po, I guarantee you that by living next to Duo Maxwell the Winner family will be completely safe. You can tell Mr. Winner that we have the prisoner under house arrest, and should he leave his home during curfew, the police will be notified immediately."

The woman rolled her eyes and very unprofessionally slung her briefcase under her arm and walked away from the arrogant police officer.

Wufei decided to give her something else to think about on her walk back to the Winner home.

"And the house is not for sale."

Duo doubled over in laugher, prompting Wufei to hold tighter to his arm. He shook his head, immediately regretting that he had said anything. He led Duo up the few steps to the front door and dug in his pocket for the house key the Sheriff gave him hours before. As he opened the door his hands searched for a light switch.

Light flooded the small foyer of the home and lit up the brightly wallpapered hall. There were pictures hung up throughout the hallway and Wufei glanced at them as he passed. He started for the kitchen at the end of the hall, but Duo pulled back.

Wufei glared dangerously back at his charge and Duo smiled brightly, "Take off your boots, man."

Wufei rolled his eyes at Duo's attempt at cleanliness and led him though to the kitchen. He wasn't about to take off his tactical boots in a felons home. He pulled out a chair.

"Sit down."

Duo rolled his eyes and plopped down in the worn chair, hands tight behind his back.

"This is how this is going to work. I'm going to hook up an electronic device in the kitchen that will space out your ninety-foot radius. You will only leave this perimeter when you are going to school or work. I already have these timings set into the computer. You will be able to leave at eight in the morning on weekdays and Saturday at nine in the morning for work. You will be back here before four o'clock each weekday, and three o'clock on Saturday. Sunday you will not be permitted to leave this zone. Understand?"

Duo nodded. "I've got from eight to four on school days and nine to three on Saturdays. What happens if I'm not where I'm supposed to be though?" Duo drummed his fingers on the chair back behind him.

"If you mean skipping a day of your senior year of high school, then you had better be here and nowhere else. Also, shopping must be done within those time frames. You're lucky, only students can leave their homes while under house arrest. The judge made an exception for your workday, seeing as how you have no one else to live with."

Duo snorted.

Wufei walked around the kitchen checking cupboards for the supplies Duo would need for the next few weeks.

There were dishes in the sink but other than that the house was very clean. Cleanliness seemed like a trait that the braided felon would lack but his home told a different story. Wufei set up the small black device on the kitchen counter, plugging it into the wall outlet.

A small beep came from Duo's ankle bracelet.

"It's all set to go. You need to keep this plugged in at all times. If the power were to go out there are batteries in there to keep it going for a few hours, so that shouldn't be a concern."

Wufei left Duo at the table and walked into a large room adjacent to the kitchen. The living room was the largest room in the house and Duo was going to spend most of his time there.

There was a moderately sized television and a stack of videos set neatly beside it. A very large bookcase took up the entire back wall of the living room. Almost every spot housed a book that sported an older binding. Wufei, an avid reader himself, appreciated Duo's utmost care of the small library.

The carpeted floors were clean and all tables were dusted. The couch looked unused, but the armchair to its left was worn and Wufei figured it was where Duo did his reading. A small lamp sat next to the chair.

Along the wall in front of the chair was a small fireplace that was obviously well used but cleaned regularly. The pictures that donned the walls were also set along the top of the fireplace. As Wufei passed them he realized that Duo had always had long hair, even as a child.

"I'll be back in a moment. I need to check out the upstairs."

Ignoring Duo's second, "Take your boots off," he started up the small carpeted stairs to the second level. At the top of the stairs a hallway with only three doors led into different rooms. Wufei trekked passed one doorway that housed a large bed with a pink coverlet. He assumed that was not Duo's bedroom. Carrying on down the hall a bedroom was painted the same blue of the carpet downstairs and held a single bed. This room was just as clean as the others but held a laundry hamper and posters of rock banks such as Queen and Kansas. A small black stereo sat on the floor under the window.

At the end of the hall there was a small bathroom that was polished clean. Wufei leaned on the wooden doorway, shaking his head. At least Duo Maxwell knew how to clean house.

He made his way back to the main level and saw Duo sitting in the same spot he left him in. The braided man's ankles were crossed under the table and he leaned forward in the seat to keep pressure off his hands.

"You didn't take your boots off." Duo's violet eyes stared accusingly at the police officer. He then crossed his arms in front of him, letting the metal cuffs cling to the floor, all attitude and anger.

Wufei was livid. The tactical cuffs he bought were supposed to be impossible to pick, field tested and proven. But as much as Wufei wanted to be angry at him, he also respected Duo's ability to escape his bonds.

Duo's chin tipped up, daring Wufei to do something about it.

"You know, I can have your hair cut while you're in the prison system."

Duo's eyes flashed as he stood abruptly from his seat. The chair flew backward and slammed into the wooden cupboards as Duo's hands braced on the table. He leaned forward, dangerously close to Wufei.

"Get. Out."

The words were ground from Duo's lips with a scowl. Obviously Wufei had hit a soft spot.

The passion in which he spoke would have made a lesser man back away, but Wufei wasn't a lesser man. He was an officer of the law.

Instead of backing away, Wufei walked to the edge of the table. Leaning forward with one hand on the table and the other reaching behind Duo to the nape of his neck, he felt how tense his prisoner was.

Duo's aggression lessened slightly as he took in Wufei's closeness. Obviously the officer wasn't about to let Duo win in this battle of bronze they were having.

Unfortunately, between that skin tight uniform and Wufei's tougher-than-shit attitude, Duo couldn't keep his eyes off him. His eyes flicked down to the Asian man's lips.

Wufei smiled and said, "I'll go when I choose to go."

Wufei watched as the violet eyes calculated Wufei's seriousness and he hoped Duo would come to understand that he needed to obey him and the rules that were laid out for him. He watched as Duo's eyes flicked down to his lips. He quickly let him go.

Duo cleared his throat, embarrassed, and walks out of the kitchen and into the living room. He chooses a book from the shelf and settles into the armchair. Flicking the small lamp on he looked like he was content to just sit there and read.

Wufei closed his eyes, knowing he couldn't leave on that note. Professionally speaking, having a charge he couldn't talk to was almost as bad as losing one.

He confronted Duo in the living room, and nudged his book when Duo didn't acknowledge him. Duo threw down his novel onto his lap and looked at Wufei expectantly.

"I'll be doing random checks during the day to see where you are on the tracker. If you're in an area you're not supposed to be in, I will come and collect you," he paused here, clearing his throat.

"Look man, I'll do what you want but the moment you try to cut my hair I will be out of this city so fast you'll never be able to find me. Not you and not your little drone army in blue either."

Wufei was exasperated. What kind of a guy gets arrested, convicted, and still has enough attitude to throw his way?

"Honestly Maxwell, I fucking dare you."

Wufei spun around to the door, making that his cue to leave. "If you have any questions, you have my phone number."

"I don't have a phone." Duo spoke quietly from his chair.

Wufei took in his sullen features, so different than the attitude earlier in the day.

"Well, I'll be back tomorrow night to check up on you. You have work in the morning so you may want to test how far your perimeter stretches before you leave."

Duo rolled his eyes again and hid his face behind the book.

Wufei left, closing the door of the house firmly. He kept one set of keys while Duo had another. Wufei had gone over the rules for in-house incarceration with him and set up the machine for the perimeter. He had followed correct protocol through the entire process.

As he walked to his cruiser, Wufei's fingers brushed over his lips remembering the warmth of Duo's gaze on his lips. What would he have done if Duo had actually done it?

Duo watched the police officer from the window of the living room, hidden from view. He saw Wufei's hand brushed across his lips as he got into the cruiser, then watched as Wufei started the car and pulled away.

He just almost kissed a fucking cop. Even with one as hot as Wufei it was still against everything he stood for. If his gang ever found out they would both be dead in a ditch come Monday.


	3. Chapter 3

House Arrest

Chapter Three:

Wufei opened the door to his apartment and flicked on the light switch, his keys clanging to the floor when they missed the counter. He locked the deadbolt on the inside of the thick wooden door and threw his police hat to the floor. Unclipping the gold badge from his chest he tossed it on the couch on his way by. Stripping off the blue uniform shirt Wufei discarded that on the couch as well. He kicked his boots off in the doorway to his bedroom and slipped the white fatigue shirt up off his body. His bare chest was almost golden in the light as he walked back to the kitchen in his sock feet and blue pants.

There were books shoved on every available space possible. They not only took up the majority of the floor space but also were strewn haphazardly on the furniture.

He clicked the button to release his utility belt and placed it gently on the counter, unholstering his thirty-five. The police issued weapon had to be legally locked in the safe in his room.

When he finished, Wufei pressed a button for a quick check of the whereabouts of his nineteen in-house prisoners. The tracker listed off the locations as Wufei took off his socks and balled them up, discarding them in a corner. He nodded as all prisoners were accounted for, including the new charge, and made his way to the bathroom. Flicking on the switch to the room he twisted the tap and took a hot shower. Duo's wide violet eyes haunted him every moment since he left that house.

Toweling off he dressed in new boxers and slid under the sheets, finally able to relax. As Wufei closed his eyes he pictured Duo's home and how clean and comfortable and warm the atmosphere was. His own apartment was cold and dark and had a layer of dirt and dust over everything. Wufei made a mental note to take time off from work to do a major overhaul of his apartment. It was almost embarrassing to see that an eighteen year old high school student had better housekeeping skills than a twenty-two year old police officer.

It was some time before Wufei could drift off to something that relatively resembled sleep. He fell asleep to the image of himself and Duo curled up in an armchair, Duo reading to him by the fire.

It was coming on to three in the morning when Wufei's small beeper alarm woke him up. He hastily threw back the covers and proceeded to stumble into the kitchen, grabbing at various uniform parts on the way. He examined the tracker and determined that prisoner number four, a man convicted of theft of government property, had just left his perimeter.

Wufei would locate, arrest and transport the prisoner to the city police temporary lockup. It was just another day as a first response officer.

Duo was leaning over the counter at the convenience store dressed for work in blue jeans and a black sweater. He was currently blowing bubbles at a child that had come in with his mother. Anything to pass the time since he still had about an hour left before he could go home. Really, before he had to be home.

The child was hiding behind his mothers legs making funny faces up at Duo. The owner of the store walked from the store room to the counter and watched Duo tease the child.

"Duo, do I pay you to blow bubbles at customers?" Howard's brightly coloured Hawaiian shirt made Duo blink rapidly at him.

"Nope, but it keeps me and the kids happy."

"I'll bet."

Howard placed boxes on the counter and told Duo to restock the cigarettes. Duo rolled his eyes but dug his hands into the box and set the cartons in their respective places. The bell inside the door jingled as a new costumer with bright blond hair walked in. Duo rang in the woman's purchases and waved goodbye to the child as they walked away, but kept an eye out for the blond head of hair still in the store.

He was probably Duo's age but instead of the jeans and a t-shirt Duo was used to seeing he sported very fine clothes. The guy spent most of his time over by the magazines and Duo started to get suspicious when he kept eyeing the counter. It looked like he was reluctant to come to the cash. Howard was back in the store room and there were no other customers so Duo kept a wary eye on him. He watched as the man skirted the candy isle and stopped at the magazine shelf and Duo made himself look busy as a hand reached up and grabbed one from the shelf.

As he approached the counter Duo was faced with a good looking young man with a fair complexion and an innocent face. Duo figured that he wouldn't have any trouble with this guy. As Duo rang in the car magazine the man grasped at the counter top in front of him.

"Will that be everything?"

The customer blushed, his face tinged pink and Duo raised an eyebrow.

"C-could I get a box of c-condoms please."

Duo paused and looked him over again. The boy blushed again and tipped his head so he was looking at the counter and anywhere but at Duo's face. Duo decided to help him out since it was obviously his first time buying condoms. He couldn't dampen his chuckle.

"Trojan alright?" He waited for an almost imperceptible nod and turned to the shelf behind him and asked, "What size?"

He muttered his answer. "Large."

Duo turned to face the boy and sized him up.

"No offense but I really think you're kinda too small for the large, there buddy."

The hands on the counter grasped even harder and his face flushed again.

"They're not actually for me."

Duo looked out the window and saw a man with odd hair standing with his arms crossed beside a red motorcycle, one helmet sat on the ground and one on the seat.

Duo turned a megawatt smile at his customer and said, "Large it is!" He grabbed the box from the shelf and rang both the car magazine and condoms in.

It was so nice to see such a cute gay couple practicing safe sex.

As the bell sounded and the door opened Duo couldn't help but call out to him, "Have a very good night!"

The boy shot off across the parking lot straight into his boyfriends waiting arms. Duo watched as they held each other tight before he turned back to blowing bubbles. Just forty-five more minutes to go before he had to be home.

Howard let him leave early and he loaded his arms down with groceries before making his way home. His house was in sight just as the hand on his watch said that it was 2:55, just enough time to make it home. Walking up the steps he stopped to search for his keys hidden somewhere deep in his pockets. Duo could hear the engine of a car as it pulled up the driveway across the street. Duo set his bag of groceries on the step and watched as old Mrs. Wilson across the street tried to carry her groceries from her car into her house. Watching as the old lady struggle he made the decision to run over and give her a hand.

As Duo darted across the street Mrs. Wilson smiled at him and let him take the majority of the heavy bags inside. Setting them on the kitchen table he backed slowly towards the door as Mrs. Wilson started to talk about how nice a young man he was.

"You're such a sweetheart, dear. If only Helen was still alive she could see just how well you're doing in life."

Duo really didn't have the time to sit and talk but he also knew that it was very rude to interrupt a lady when she was speaking. He could hear a faint beeping sound coming from his ankle and he had a momentary lapse in kindness.

"I'm sorry Mrs. Wilson but I left my own groceries on my front step so I gotta be going!" Duo took off out the door knowing that he had less than thirty seconds before the tracker would tell Wufei that he wasn't where he should be. She thanked him again and watched as he ran full speed from her house.

'What an odd boy,' she thought.

As Duo darted out into the sunshine the thud of his boots didn't cover the sound of a siren in the distance.

'Damn, Wufei must've been close.' His feet finally reached the soft grass of his lawn as the car screeched to a halt and the door slammed. At least Duo's bracelet had stopped beeping now that he was back in the zone.

Duo turned around and saw that Wufei had his gun drawn and a very serious expression on his face. He took a few steps backwards with his hands in front of him trying frantically to explain as Wufei came around the front of the squad car, gun in hand and walking toward Duo.

"Wait, wait, I was just trying to..."

Wufei barked out an order, obviously not going to listen to him. "Lay face down on the ground with your hands on your head."

Duo sank to his knees sputtering, "But I was just..."

"Get the fuck down and stay down."

Duo complied, swearing into the grass and shaking his head. He put his hands over his head lacing his fingers together and waited for Wufei to arrest him. This blocked out some of the light as Duo tried to close his eyes and pretend he was anywhere other than stretched out on his front lawn like he was. He could feel Wufei's hands on his moving his arms down to successfully cuff him.

Duo groaned.

"Put your knees under you and push yourself into a standing position."

It was difficult but with Wufei's help Duo stood upright, facing away from the officer. Wufei tugged on his cuffs toward the house and caught Duo off guard. He had figured that he would be shoved violently into the cruiser and driven to the nearest lockup cell but instead he was being dragged into his house. Wufei ignored the bags on the stoop as he unlocked the front door and Duo couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you supposed to take me in?"

Wufei pushed the door open and shoved Duo inside saying, "Yes, but I can give you a better beating here than I can at the station." He didn't stop shoving until they were standing in the middle of Duo's living room, Duo staring at the police officer thinking that it was a good sign that Wufei had put the gun away.

"You think you can do whatever you want and just go wherever you want to go? That is not how this system works!"

Wufei's tone was dangerous and Duo unconsciously backed away as it escalated.

"I don't give a shit what you do but when curfew comes around you better be in this fucking house. The rules are very simple and I laid them out for you just yesterday." His voice raised and he took a few steps closer to Duo. "You know exactly how this works. There is no excuse."

Duo's eyes flashed at the words the officer used to insinuate that he was an idiot. He did know exactly how it worked but he just tried to help an old lady get her groceries in the house and this officer was going to beat him for it. Wufei caught the exact moment when Duo went from submissive prisoner to angry teenager.

Wufei grasped Duo's black sweater and shoved him up against the bookshelf, kicking his feet out from under him and making Duo fall hard on his knees. His hands were still tight behind his back but he was working on it. Duo looked up all fire and ire and spat out, "That all you got for me, chink cop?"

Wufei knelt down and grasped the base of his braid pulling Duo's head back, his eyes glistening. "Did you really beat that old man because he was Chinese, or was it just because you wanted someone to hit?"

Duo was silent staring up into Wufei's angry face. Wufei pulled him up and turned him around, pressing Duo's chest into the bookshelf. He uncuffed him quickly and backed up to the center of the room.

"You've got a Chinese man right here to beat for whatever your reasons. Take your best fucking shot."

Duo eyed the books in front of him, the weathered spines mocking him as he turned slowly to face Wufei. The officer had his hands held out in front of him in a mock surrender fully tempting Duo to take a swing. Just the thought of the Chinese man his gang attacked recently sobered Duo up pretty quickly.

The officer was willing to let him deck him but his black eyes held a soft look for the braided teen and suddenly the last thing Duo wanted to do was hit him. If only he understood why he was late.

Duo shook his head and insisted, "I don't want to fight you, I was just helping Mrs. Wilson take her groceries into her house."

Wufei took in Duo's sullen expression and his disheveled sweater and frizzy hair and saw an innocence which shouldn't be present in a convicted felon. Wufei still couldn't believe that excuse.

"I highly doubt that. So you can beat old men and help old ladies?"

Duo's eyes flashed as he stepped dangerously closer to Wufei. "I didn't touch him!" he spat out.

"That's not what the case reports say and it's certainly not what you pled guilty to."

"I don't give a shit. I haven't hurt anyone in my life that didn't deserve exactly what they got!"

They both turned toward the door when they heard a timid knocking. Wufei sighed and motioned for Duo to answer it and was directly behind him as the door was opened. Mrs. Wilson stood on the stoop with a bundle of flowers in her hands. "These are a little something from my garden for you being such a nice young man and helping me earlier."

Duo took the flowers with thanks and wished Mrs. Wilson a good day. When he closed the door he turned around to see Wufei leaning with his back against the wall in the foyer and his arms crossed. Duo plucked a small yellow flower from the bundle and tickled it under Wufei's chin, taunting.

"I told you so."

Wufei growled and grabbed the hand that held the flower tight, flashbacks from the heated looks he was given the day before plaguing his mind. Duo's face tinged pink and Wufei figured they were thinking about the same thing. Duo licked his lips and swore he could feel heat generating off Wufei's body he was so close. He leaned forward an inch then abruptly changed his mind and walked quickly into the kitchen. He dropped the flowers on the table and opened a cupboard to find a small vase to put the flowers in. When Helen was alive the house had been full of bright plants but Duo found that he just couldn't keep them alive. He kept the majority of Helens things however, and found a small blue vase that was left over from her life. As he filled the vase with tap water he heard booted feet enter the kitchen.

"I'm sorry I didn't believe you but you still cannot breach curfew for any reason that is not an emergency." Wufei's voice was muffled by the sound of running water but Duo could hear the apology in his voice just fine. Duo shoved the flowers in the vase and plopped it down on the table and walked past Wufei to the entryway and opened the door halfway to grab the bags that were still sitting there. He started to unlace his boots to make a point to the man in the house still wearing them.

"You need to learn when to back off Officer Chang, or maybe one day I'll give you that punch you asked so nicely for."

Wufei snorted as Duo sat down at the kitchen table. "You can go right ahead."

Duo's voice held a hidden meaning when he laced his fingers behind his head and said, "Nah, I'm a lover and not a fighter Wufei."


	4. Chapter 4

House Arrest

Chapter Four:

Hallways are always super crowded at the high school, and today were no different. Duo got shouldered and then jammed against a firm, steel locker making his way to the cafeteria from English. The regular crowds were occupying their usual haunts; the Goths underneath the stairs; the jocks and cheerleaders outside the gym doors; the preps inside the cafeteria. Usually he spent the hour with some of the guys from the gang behind the school, now he grabbed a book and a comfortable chair in the library. If beating up old men was their game, then he wasn't gonna play.

Jesus-fuck how he hated this school.

The library was now as much of a sanctuary as his home was. The hours he spent reading in his living room were very personal to him. He supposed that's a good thing, seeing as how he's spending the majority of his time there. The school library was a pretty good sized library but was used mostly for academic work, rather than recreational play. He bypassed the dictionaries and encyclopedias' and started rifling through the small fiction section.

"And like, I totally thought that cute guy at the party was staring at you the whole time, Relena!"

Duo looked through the bookshelf and to see two of the more popular girls in the school walking around the library. He hadn't known they could read.

"Yeah, and he had a hot bike too. What was his name? Trowa?"

Duo put the book he had been trying to read the summary of back onto the shelf and threw up his hands in defeat. He had to get out of here. These people were spoiled brats and have never had to worry about anything in their entire lives. He needed to get away from the cell phone and laptops and trust fund types. Knowing that Wufei would kick his sorry ass if he was caught off school grounds during hours he decided to take the chance. What was the worst Wufei would do? Cuff him and beat him up?

Duo's cheeks coloured as he made his way down the still busy hall and past the Goths hanging out in silence under the stairs, worry nagging him in the back of his mind. What would Wufei do if he was caught? The shrill shrieks of the preps in the cafeteria made up his mind for him as he pushed the doors open to the outside world and he started to run.

The sun was high in the sky as he ran down cracked sidewalks to the downtown area. It took a while but he finally made it where he wanted to go. The doors of the three story public library beckoned to him like nothing else. Maybe he was lonely, he had been spending huge amounts of time inside his home and the library was his gate to a bigger world, adventure and intrigue. And, perhaps, a bit of romance as well. The doors were huge stood at the top of a large staircase and he turned around, the city police headquarters was looming at him from just across the street.

That was more than likely where Wufei was based from. Duo shielded his eyes from the sun as he checked out the windows. Maybe Wufei was watching him right now, waiting for his chance for Duo to fuck up so he can bring him in. Lock him up.

Whatever. He needed this like a druggy needed his fix.

He climbed the stairs two at a time and rushed through the doors of the library.

Wufei sat in his small cubicle on the fourth floor of the police headquarters checking over the paper work for a new prisoner under his care. Fortunately he hadn't had too many interruptions during the morning. One prisoner had actually called him telling him that his bus was running late because of an accident and that there was no way he was able to get home in time for his one PM curfew. That simple action kept him out of jail overnight as Wufei picked him up and got him home before curfew.

He tossed his pen on the desk in front of him and leaned back in his chair. Maybe today would be a quiet, slow day and he'd get the rest of the evening off. He checked his watch. It was almost four o'clock and just a half hour more and he could make his way through the traffic rush back to his apartment.

Beep. Beep.

And it wasn't meant to be.

His computer screen flashed red and, leaving the papers where they were, he jumped to his feet. He leaned over the desk, checking for both name and location on the monitor. Duo Maxwell, 675 Mayhurst.

Shit, he's close.

Wufei growled and grabbed his hat, ignoring the calls from his co-workers who knew why he was leaving. This was becoming ridiculous. Duo had only been in his care a little while and had been successful in screwing up curfew twice.

He took the stairs, other officers pressing against the wall to give him space to run, knowing why he was in such a rush. He left the large brick building and ran past vacant police cars and through a lull in traffic, a large 675 printed in the stone of the building just across the street beckoning him.

The library.

A woman came out of the library with two young children and Wufei slowed enough to hold the door and let them pass, nodding a greeting. As soon as they were out of the way, however, Wufei booked it past the circulation desk, light on his feet. The librarians kept up their work but watched him pass with surprised faces.

There are three floors of books. Where would he be?

Wufei quickly ran through the books he remembered seeing on the shelves at Duo's home. He gestured to the closest librarian and whispered, "Fiction?"

"Second floor, back section." He darted up the carpeted stairs and passed floor to ceiling shelves of books of all jacket colours and genres. The fiction section was at the very far corner of the library and random desks were placed around, both for research and leisure. The farther Wufei walked in the darker it got; the atmosphere very shady and he noticed that even the books looked older and darker. And there slumped over a desk, was Duo Maxwell, fast asleep with a book in one arm and his head in the other.

Something about the innocence of Duo's posture and well, the fact that he was late not because he chose to be, but because he fell asleep, made Wufei hesitant to wake him. Instead he quietly leaned against the closest bookshelf and actually took the time to study Duo Maxwell.

His lashes were fluttering in his sleep against his cherub cheeks and Wufei doesn't ever think he's seen someone so beautiful. Duo's braid lay gently on his back all the way to the seat of the wooden chair he was sitting in. His black t-shirt and blue jeans were old and well worn and the small whimpers he made in sleep made Wufei's own breath hitch.

This was going to be the longest assignment he was ever going to have to complete.

The small beeping noise of the ankle bracelet wasn't loud enough to actually wake Duo and Wufei was just so reluctant to wake him that he couldn't bring himself to do it. Instead he stood there watching five feet away as Duo slowly drew himself out of sleep and watched Duo's face as he slowly sat up, rubbing at his eyes. The change in posture was almost immediate as he heard the beeping and his back went rigid.

"Shit!"

The long fingers that had been holding the page he'd been reading were now clutching the book as he grabbed his bookbag and turned around, face to face with Officer Wufei Chang.

The expression in Duo's eyes proved to Wufei even further that he hadn't meant to fall asleep in the library, just to irk the police officer.

"I'm so fucking sorry, Wufei." Duo let the bookbag fall to the floor and leaned against the desk he'd just fallen asleep on, crossing his arms and looking very well like he fucked up. And he knew he fucked up. This, to Wufei, was a victory in itself.

"Turn around, Duo."

Duo's face, if it were possible, fell even more, but he didn't utter a protest as he turned slowly around and brought his own hands together behind his back, making it effortless for Wufei to loosely put the steel cuffs around his wrists.

Wufei picked the book and backpack up and unzipped the bag open just enough to slide the book inside.

"I hadn't signed that out yet." The words were almost whispered in Wufei's ear as they stood side by side at the desk. Wufei felt himself flush a little at the look Duo gave him, those violet eyes shaded by his hair.

Wufei loudly cleared his throat and went to say something back, honestly, but Duo took that one step closer that put them flushed together, long limbs pressing against the others.

"Shh," Duo's breath was hot against Wufei's skin, "this is a library."

And there it is. The moment Wufei had been dreading. His willpower was fading fast, his attention only on the lithe body cuffed in front of him.

Nataku help me, but I can't resist him.

He's a cop, I know he's a cop, and yet I can't stop.

Wufei grasped the book in one hand and Duo's waist in the other, bringing them closer still, hidden only by the endless shelves of books. He groaned as Duo slowly, almost gently, rocked his hips forward. Wufei leaned against the desk with a wiry muscled man in handcuffs in his arms, his breath hitched and his mouth seeking out Duo's, the police station just across the street.

Is he just fucking with me?

Duo's lips worked up from Wufei's collarbone and up the soft skin of his neck to the hard line of his jaw before finally settling on Wufei's lips. Wufei dropped the book and his fingers clung to Duo's ribcage, as if he were going anywhere anyway. A hand came up and caressed Wufei's cheek and fingered its way through his hair.

Oh god.

Duo gasped, "Wufei," as he was pushed back and their mouths separated. Wufei cleared his throat and licked his wet lips, looking at Duo's flushed face and red lips, one arm was still cuffed but he'd managed to get the other one free, able to resist him if he'd wanted to.

"Wufei, I swear, I wasn't going to try anything. I just wanted to feel you too, please."

Wufei couldn't believe he had been so careless. He stepped closer to Duo and grabbed onto the arm still cuffed, turning him swiftly around, facing the bookshelf. Reaching for the other hand, he deftly cuffed his wrists together tightly. Keeping one hand on the cuffed wrists, Wufei reached down and picked up the backpack from the floor and started to lead Duo out of the aisle. Duo glanced sullenly back at the book lying on the floor just under the desk as Wufei pressed on, leading him down the stairs, past the odd looks they received from the librarians and finally outside.

Wufei crossed the street and put Duo in the back of his squad car, intent on taking him home instead of booking him. He put the bag in the passenger's seat as he got in and shut the door, glancing back through the cage at Duo's flushed face. You could actually see the emotion playing out on Duo's face through the rear view mirror as he went from sullen, to embarrassed to really quite angry. Hopefully Duo couldn't see Wufei's cheeks, reddened by heat and anger. Anger that he lost control like that.

"You're an asshole, you know that?"

Wufei put the car in drive and made his way to Duo's home. Answering Duo probably wouldn't do any good either.

"You're an asshole. You're just a fucking chink cop."

Wufei's eyes snapped up to the rear view mirror and his eyes met Duo's very angry violet eyes.

"Don't, Maxwell. Just don't."

"Why not? Not like you're gonna do anything about it. Honestly, I don't know what would be worse, fucking you or fucking Jet Li. You're both way too Asian for me, but I betcha you give better blow jobs than him."

"Duo, what the fuck?"

He could see Duo chewing on his bottom lip, staring out the window as the houses went by, one by one as they got closer and closer to his home, swallowing nervously, as if he was already aware that he'd overstepped the boundaries.

Wufei pulled over and shut the car off just in front of Duo's house. The silence in the car was louder than either of them could have possibly imagined and Duo let out a huge sigh and put his head on his knees, hiding his face from Wufei.

"Are you okay, Duo?" Wufei turned around in his seat and put one hand on the cage, fingers grasping the cold metal.

Duo shook his head from side to side once, and then quickly sat up, his face coming so close to Wufei's and his free right hand grasped Wufei's fingers with his own through the cage.

"Just kiss me Wufei."

Wufei was startled, the quick actions causing him to stare into Duo's violet eyes and, once again, be overwhelmed with a sense that he needed to obey. But he was in a police car parked on a public street in daylight.

"No Duo, I can't do that."

Immediately Duo's fingers grasped his harder and he pushed his face closer, and begged.

"Please Wufei, just please." The crack in his voice is what did Wufei in that time. His mouth found Duo's through the cage, and yeah, it was awkward, but it was perfect too.

Wufei's mouth went dry as Duo pulled away and breathed, "take me inside."


	5. Chapter 5

House Arrest

Chapter Five

The sun beat down on Wufei as he opened the door to his cruiser and grabbed hold of Duo's left arm, painfully aware that they were in the public eye. Duo held the handcuffs he had already picked folded in his right hand, letting Wufei lead him up the drive and into the house.

Wufei felt his anxiety as Duo missed shoving the key in the lock, violet eyes sheepishly glancing to see if the officer had noticed. As they stepped inside the door clicked closed and Wufei felt frozen and unsure standing in the young man's darkened entryway.

Duo smiled at his obvious insecurity but let his lips graze Wufei's. Wufei felt the impulse to lock their lips firmly together while grasping Duo's slim waist as Duo shoved his legs apart, growling into Wufei's mouth.

Hands grasped the buttons on Wufei's police uniform shirt, fumbling until the white fatigue shirt was exposed. Duo's breath was warm against his neck, lips caressing golden skin and he fell to his knees tugging on Wufei's utility belt.

Wufei jerked back, flush against the wall, hand on the handle of his sidearm. Duo's grin faded as he spoke, breathless.

"Hey...I was just trying to..."

Wufei's eyes darted towards the door, unsure of himself for the first time in years. He licked his lips, already missing the feel of Duo's lips, his body, on his as he made his decision.

Wufei cleared his throat, exasperated.

"Duo, I can't. I want to, I do, but I just can't."

Wufei spoke with so much regret lacing his words that Duo misinterpreted as pity.

Duo's eyes flashed in anger and cheeks red from passion as he could feel the embarrassment rising in his chest. Of course he wouldn't be interested, he was a successful police officer, he had a job and probably a family that expected more from him than dating an orphan.

Duo bit his lip, leaning against the wall as Wufei buttoned his shirt and left. He was speechless for possibly the first time in his life.

Wufei sat in his police car for forty-five minutes pondering what had happened in the past few days that could totally mess up his life like this. Duo sat in the kitchen, aware of the cruiser parked outside, wishing he could leave and blow off some steam somewhere.

He still sat there until he heard the cruiser drive off, hope that Wufei would change his mind vanishing with the car itself.

In class the next day Duo decided never to speak to Wufei again. His logic was that he had put himself out there and Wufei refused. The entire day was spent watching the rain fall outside the white framed windows with no plans on learning anything.

Unfortunately, in calculus, his teacher had other ideas.

"Mr. Maxwell, I know you may not want to listen, but I guarantee that it is required, especially from you, to pass this class."

Snickers came from the preps in the front of the class. It was just enough stress on Duo for him to snap at her.

"Listen lady, I'll do my thing and you can do yours, okay? My taxes pay you to teach and have a four month paid break in the summer, alright. So teach."

Her face reddened, obviously unused to such erratic behaviour.

"Get out, Maxwell." She motioned towards the open door of the classroom.

"Nah, I'm all set right here." Duo crossed his arms, violet jacket draped over the back of his chair a stark contrast to his black outfit.

"Duo Maxwell, if I have to get security in here ..."

"Gonna have to since I'm not leaving until class is over, lady. It's not like I have anywhere else I gotta be."

She huffed and when she left the room, obviously to make good on her threat, the class burst out in chatter. They hoped to see a fight between Duo and security and Duo wasn't sure if they wouldn't get just that.

Wufei sat at his desk with a coffee mug pressed to his mouth trying to stave off exhaustion from lack of sleep. Since that second incident with Duo he had tossed and turned at night getting little to no sleep. However, other cases have kept his mind on other things.

First, one of his charges had booked town and left Wufei to chase after him. He finally caught up to him at a sleazy hotel with an evenly sleazy hooker, a memory that still makes him cringe.

To top it off his dreams, when he does dream, are of falling asleep in a worn armchair nestled into a strong, warm body.

He groaned and leaned back sloshing coffee on some semi-important papers on his desk. The office was relatively busy since a hacker they were very close to catching was still just beyond their grasp. With the new highly trained computer techs honing in to his location the office was full of excitement. In his cubicle, however, it was a sullen atmosphere.

He loathed himself.

In no way had he ever expected to become that familiar with a criminal. He himself felt exposed because of the situation and could only imagine what Duo felt like, stuck in that house alone. All after his officer kissed and fondled him.

Wufei didn't have it in him to get another officer for Duo. He was a misunderstood young man and Wufei was scared to death they would not help him out when he needed it.

He placed his head on his desk taking a moment to relive those moments he wishes he could forget.

If he did not possess acute reflexes from years of martial arts training Wufei would have jumped when his office line rang. The security officer stated he was from the high school and needed Wufei to pick up an unruly and violent student.

Wufei groaned, seriously thought about quitting, and was on his way to the school.

When Wufei walked into the high school's security office, Duo was sitting on the floor scowling at anyone who looked his way. The guard, who stood on the farthest side of the room from Duo, held his jacket.

Duo's knuckles were red with blood and Wufei barked out, "What the hell happened here?"

Duo chuckled and rested his head against the brick wall.

"Tell me you didn't hit anyone. Tell me you didn't hit anyone, Duo. You'll go to prison."

Duo growled and spat, "I didn't touch anyone, pig, but I was thinkin' about hitting you."

Wufei sighed as the security guard said that Duo had to be forcibly removed by three guards and a teacher from the classroom after an outburst at the teacher. Following that he punched a wall on their way to the office.

"Get the fuck up Maxwell and get in the car. We're going to the station."

Duo glared at the floor and shook his head, "I want to go home."

"You have no choice. I said get in the fucking car."

Duo reluctantly picked himself up off the floor and caught his jacket when it was thrown to him. He stalked through the door and down the hall as Wufei shook his head, exasperated by Duo's behaviour.

Duo expected to be shoved into the backseat of the cruiser but Wufei opened the passenger door. Wufei took a deep breath before climbing in and starting the car.

Wufei knew that Duo's hand should be cleaned up and bandaged, the blood trickled onto his black pants.

"Do you have health insurance?"

Silence.

Wufei sighed, "I didn't think so."

Duo realized that they had passed the station, "You said you were taking me in."

"And you said you wanted to go home."

Wufei eyed his violet eyed charge through the rear view mirror. Duo's head was resting on the window and his eyes were closed.

When they reached the house, Wufei had Duo sit in his armchair, however reluctantly, and gathered supplies to clean his wounded hand.

Wufei knelt in front of his prisoner and calmly wiped away the drying blood on his hand while Duo watched him, his gaze almost unnerving.

Wufei was wrapping his hand with cling wrap when Duo's accusing voice made him look up into violent violet eyes.

"You left."

And here it is.

"I'm sorry but it needed to be done. What do you want from me? This is my career we're talking about Duo, not some high school romance."

Wufei packed up the kit to leave but was knocked off balance when Duo grabbed his arm, clutching Wufei's hand in his.

"I don't care that you're a cop. All I know is that I've never wanted someone like I want you. If I can't have you then I want nothing to do with you. You can get out and get someone else to watch over me."

Wufei said nothing. He could feel soft kisses, a hand in his hair and it was so hot he didn't want to move from that place. But those are not things he should want. They are illegal things that could cause him to lose his job and possibly spend time in prison.

Wufei peeled himself away from Duo and stood up.

His voice was barely a whisper as he said, "If that is how it has to be, then so be it."


	6. Chapter 6

House Arrest

Chapter Six

It had been two weeks since Wufei left the house in such a rush, leaving Duo wanting and unsure. The very next day he was assigned a new response officer. Unfortunately Duo spent his two week suspension alone at home, visited only by his gang. Basically alone with his thoughts day in day out, he was frustrated in more ways than one. His gang leader expected him to get back into the swing of things when he got back to school.

Today was the day.

"Yo, Duo. I got a task for you, bro." The violet clad leader, Troy, caught up with him in the hall. Walking side by side they maneuvered their way through the preps and the jocks near the gym.

'Course he does.

"Take this package and drop it off downtown by four today. You know where, alright?"

Duo stops short. "You know I have to be in my house by four, Troy."

"Well then, I suggest you leave now?" Troy had a twinkle in his eye. This was just another way to lord his power over Duo.

Troy left him in the hall with the package, stunned. He knows about his house arrest and yet he still gave him a long distance run. He didn't even know what was in it. Could be drugs, could be a gun. Whatever it is if he were caught he would likely go to prison for a long time.

Duo turned around and punched a locker, narrowly missing a jock's face.

"Watch it, bro!"

Duo spat, "I'm not your fucking bro!" He rushed down the hall towards the side door of the school. Maybe he could get there and back to his house by four? He could just tell Troy to fuck right off but somehow the rest of the gang might not like that. If there was one thing he didn't want, it was an angry mob of violet clad guys after him.

So, this package had to be delivered.

Duo checked his watch; it was just after two pm. There was no chance he was making it back by curfew.

He sighed, resigning himself for a night in the cold, dark jail cell. It's not like he hasn't done it before, right? Maybe his new responder will completely suck at his job. Regardless, it needs to be done.

Wufei sat at his desk. He had been assigned to the hacker case once the new responder had taken over a few of his charges, including the elusive but beautiful Duo Maxwell. He was thankful for this hacker; he helped keep his mind off of Duo. So far the hacker was very frustrating. Somehow he found out Wufei was on his case and sent his laptop multiple viruses. Some of which burnt out his hard drive.

On the case for only two weeks and he had six new computers. He had to respect that level of expertise but it was killing the department's budget. Wufei felt that he was getting close to catching the hacker. Something the hacker obviously knew as well.

He looked at his watch. Five to four. It was almost quitting time.

A head poked in the doorway. "Hey Chang, is there any way you can cover for me tonight? There was a death in the family and I have to go away for a few days."

It was Robert, the department's newest response officer. Wufei winced. If he did there was a chance of Duo missing curfew and Wufei didn't want to risk another meeting. After two lonely weeks and more than a few lonely nights thinking about his long hair and megawatt smile Wufei wasn't sure if he could help himself if he was near Duo.

"Pretty please? You're the only one I can ask."

Wufei sighed. "Yeah okay, just get back as quick as you can."

Robert nodded and ducked back out of the doorway after tossing him his tracker unit. He was a good cop. One who follows all the rules and regulations. Unlike Wufei who couldn't keep his eyes, or hands for that matter, off a high school senior.

After he left Duo that day he seriously thought about quitting the force. It was a battle to convince himself that as long as he stayed away he could continue to do his job to the best of his ability.

Beep. Beep.

He looked down and the screen flashed Maxwell's name, bright and daunting.

You have got to be kidding me.

Duo dropped off the package to the dockyard in good time but got hung up in traffic. His only transportation is the city bus and the rush hour traffic was almost ridiculous. It was like every god in the heavens was against him making it home on time.

First, he left school grounds during school hours, which could lead to a night in the cells. Second, he trafficked drugs or weapons while on house arrest, which could lead to years in prison. And third there is no way in hell he could make it back home before curfew.

Awesome right?

In the two weeks since Wufei left he had yet to break curfew. It was school, home and work. Wufei would probably be proud of him.

Beep Beep Beep.

His ankle bracelet flashed red and the low beeping was like a taunt. Maybe the new guy would be slow to respond? Maybe he could ride the bus in peace and just meet the guy at home?

He could hear a siren in the distance.

Or maybe not.

He pulled the cord and shouldered his way through the other passengers. He hit the pavement somewhere by the warehouse district with his only thought of not getting caught on the run.

He ran and ran, until his chest was heaving and he was gasping for air. The sirens were getting closer and closer, faster and faster as he passed old run down warehouses. Maybe he could get away? Maybe this guy wasn't as good as Wufei had been?

He turned around and watched the cruiser take the corner at an alarming speed.

Shit.

Well, he is obviously as good a driver as Wufei. He would catch up to Duo in mere seconds if he couldn't get off the street. He had to find a way up.

Duo slammed into a door using his body weight to open it. It had obviously been rusted and not opened in quite some time but he was able to get inside the building. There was a metal staircase that wound all around the open middle of the warehouse. His only chance was to go up and possibly run rooftop to rooftop.

Lungs burning he made his way steadily up and across the warehouse, thankful that it had been long abandoned.

Duo heard the door slam open and caught a glimpse of a blue uniform steadily catching up to him. Obviously Robert works out too.

He finally made it to the roof and searched for a way across to the closest warehouse. The cement roof was covered with steel bars and wires laying haphazardly, long since abandoned. It wasn't looking good.

Duo saw a possible crossing and made up his mind to try. He lunged.

A voice came from behind him yelling, "Maxwell, Don't!"

Duo's foot rolled on a steel bar and he fell headlong over the corner. He mistook the space as a crossing but it was really just a small space that fell all seven stories to the ground. His arm caught on a line and he held himself there, face looking at the ground.

He was disoriented. He was looking at the ground but somehow not falling. If his life flashed before his eyes it was short and sweet and nothing significant enough to remember.

A hand grabbed at his arm, hauling his weight back up. The ground got further and further away from his face until he was looking up at the blue sky. Safely back on the rooftop he could finally breathe again.

He was being held in Robert's lap, encircled by his strong arms.

A face, a beautiful face, appeared in his field of vision, blocking out the blue sky.

Wufei.

Maybe he was dead. Just a smear on the pavement down below and the angels were calling him home.

"You idiot! What were you thinking? You think you're invincible? That you can just jump and fall seven stories and be completely okay?"

Oh, maybe he really was here.

Duo coughed. "'Fei, I thought you were gone."

Wufei shook his shoulders making his head bounce back and forth. "Do you realize you just almost died?"

Duo was silent for a moment and then growled, "well, no one would miss me anyway."

The sun was beating down on them, both sweaty from the chase.

"You fool. I would miss you."

Wufei leaned down, and, against all his better judgment and against the law, he kissed the braided fool on his lips. Tasting him, basking in the fact that moments ago when he saw Duo disappear from sight over that wall, he thought he would never see him again.

Wufei didn't care if people could see them. He didn't care that Duo was only eighteen and a prisoner. He just wanted to feel his body, alive, under his fingertips. Duo's body arched into Wufei's hands, moaning his assent under their locked lips.

Maybe they could do this. Maybe it could work. They could keep it a secret and spend their free time alone together. As long as no one found out they could do this.

Wufei rested his forehead on Duo's and whispered, "Do you want to do this Duo? Do you know the consequences?"

Duo growled out, "I don't want this. I need this."

Wufei let Duo drag him down for another kiss.


End file.
